Beaches Jazz fest

I've got to get two newsletters to the printer on Monday, a FACTOR
application due at the end of the month (and I'm hardly clear on how I
want to spend the money), I've got to remix the track to be included on
the NorthernBlues sampler (being mastered next week)...and what have I
been doing today? Yardwork, gardening...then a little time at the
office with JH scanning some pics for both newsletters...and now
writing my blog. Work avoidance, but as always lots going on. And it
seems very hot, though it's not even 30c.

last night I had a peek at the Beaches Streetfest after a screening of
that great jazz film classic "A Great Day in Harlem". The street was
crowde but not the crush they had tonight, I bet. Last night RK was in
town and we jammed away the night. I must have bored him with my
repeating pattern but I was trying out some changes for a new tune - as
of tonite, I've abandoned those changes in favour of a slow blues
approach. Just what we need for a sure chart success, a slow blues!
Anyway I laid down some ideas on the micro-cassette recorder. Can you
believe I'm sitting next to a condensor mike with a good preamp plugged
into a dual processor Mac and it's still easier to capture ideas on
this little hand-held, low-fi, micro-cassette.

TIPS OF THE DAY
(overheard at the Beaches International Jazz Festival)

"They won't dance if they don't know the words"

and if you're going to be playing a showcase at one of those music
conferences, tell them the only night you have available is the last
night - that way, you'll have time to schmooze up an audience for your
showcase


The Toronto Bluesfest may have been cancelled, but we sure had that
festival spirit at the Beaches today and especially at the Silver
Dollar afterwards. I hope I absorbed a few tips from the amazing guitar
playing I heard. Kid Ramos was at the beaches mainstage and I must say
it doesn't get much better than that. I was pretty tired and should
have stayed home after supper, but I knew he'd be heading over to the
Silver Dollar to sit in with Little Charlie and the Nightcats and sure
enough he was there and he played great again - but the tone was not
quite the same as he got through his Fender Reverb Unit and two Vox AC
30 amps. Talk about *driving*!

Little Charlie played great too. And Rick Estrin is one of the most
colourful bluesmen anywhere. He was hilarious and what a great singer.
On the break it was like a bunch of long lost brothers from California
who found each other in some far-away land (our far-away land).

Shortly after the second show started, Little Charlie took off his
guitar in the middle of a slow blues and said "we have a great blues
guitarist in the house tonight" and Kid Ramos, sitting just in front of
me, started to get up But Charlie said..."Rick Estrin!" and handed Rick
the guitar. Rick proceeded to play some respectable guitar, and Charlie
even blew some harp - a little role reversal. Then they invited up a
bunch of the Ottawa crew that was in attendance, Roxanne Potvin,
Southside Steve and J-W Jones all got to play with their West Coast
guitar hero.

Note to self: Have a tune prepared for situations when you might be
called up to do a tune and there's no guitar to play. Something I could
just sing. A tune that everybody knows. I also have to work up
something on bass - at The Porquis Blues Festival, I got up and did
Born Under a Bad Sign on bass but I need something a little more peppy.